KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — For as long as he can remember, Yohan Smith has wanted to join the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and become a “good soldier” like his father.

“I see my father as a successful member of the JDF and I would love to follow in his footsteps and have a successful career myself,” he told JIS News.

The young man from Linstead, St Catherine, is taking the first step in fulfilling his lifelong dream. He was among the first batch of 250 recruits for the National Service Corps (NSC) programme.

The brainchild of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the NSC aims to create an avenue for young people, ages 18 to 23, to be fully empowered through national service.

Over a one-year period, the youngsters will undergo a modified version of the JDF’s traditional basic military training and receive on-the-job instruction in various aspects of the JDF’s operations such as the Coast Guard, Air Wing and engineering.

They will also benefit from vocational and life skills training.

Upon completion, the participants will be given the opportunity to continue on as soldiers in the JDF or join the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Department of Correctional Services or become security guards.

The NSC recruits will be remunerated accordingly, be separate in identity and fully provided for in law.

Yohan told JIS News that he heard about the programme through friends and after further research on the Internet he decided to sign up.

He said he is pleased with the opportunity provided for skills training.

 “I am glad to be a part of it. It’s a wonderful initiative and I want to be a part of the change that everybody talks about,” he adds.

Another participant, Christopher Golding from Bog Walk, said he heard about the programme while applying for the regular JDF corps.

“There’s a lot of opportunity there. You get to learn a lot of skills and gain knowledge. This is a good step for me,” he noted.

Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Media Affairs Officer at the JDF, Lieutenant Aaron Gabriel, explained that interested persons will have to fulfil the requisite medical requirements and pass an entrance test to participate in the programme.

“We require that the (persons) be free from any disability. They must have perfect vision, not colour blind, they don’t have any asthma or any other ailments that may prevent them from being able to go through the rigours of training,” he informs.

Gabriel noted that the aim is to train 1,000 persons per year, with 250 persons per cohort.

“While the first cohort is in training, recruitment is going on for the second cohort. So at any point in time, we would have at least two cohorts in training.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Holness, who spoke to the youngsters at Up Park Camp recently, said the success of the programme will depend on the participants.

“How you take on to training, how you take on to national service, how you maintain the discipline and high standards of the army, how you maintain the spirit of the army and how you give back to the society. This will determine whether or not the programme is a success,” he pointed out.

The NSC is part of the Learn, Earn, Give back and Save (LEGS) Programme, which aims to assist young people who, by virtue of their circumstances, have become unattached.

The programme falls under the Government’s Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) initiative, targeting job and training opportunities for unattached young people.